Tar Heels’ formula same early in camp
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina football coach Larry Fedora isn’t deviating from the normal plan for early in preseason camp, even with 13 of his players facing suspensions for secondary NCAA violations for selling team-issued shoes. The focus remains on installing basic schemes for at least a few more days, though the coaching staff will soon start adjusting the amount of repetitions for players facing suspensions as the Tar Heels prepare for their Sept. 1 season opener at California. The school announced last month it had reported the violations to the NCAA, then revealed Monday which players were being penalized and for how many games. Most notably, the list included four-game suspensions for quarterback Chazz Surratt — who had been expected to battle for the starting job — as well as returning starter Malik Carney at defensive end and another possible starter in fellow end Tomon Fox.
The bulk of the suspensions are for rotation players, others who have yet to appear in a college game and a couple of walk-ons. Fedora estimated the team has gotten through “97 percent” of its installation work ahead of Saturday’s intrasquad scrimmage. From there, the plan would be for coaches to review where every player stands, then begin to shift the reps accordingly with an eye more toward game preparation. The offensive line has four players down the depth chart facing suspensions: redshirt freshmen Brian Anderson (four games), Jordan Tucker
(four games) and Jonah Melton (one game), along with walk-on Quiron Johnson (four games). The NCAA agreed to a school request to stagger the suspensions for Carney, Fox and fellow defensive end Tyrone Hopper (four games) because they all came at the same position. Carney and Fox will play in the opener before beginning their suspensions, Carney in the second game at East Carolina and Fox in the fifth game at Miami. In all, 11 Tar Heels will miss the game at Cal.
› IRVIN, Texas — The first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2018 season will be released Oct. 30, and the four-team field will be set Dec. 2, the Sunday after conference championship games are played. The selection committee’s top 25 will be revealed on ESPN each Tuesday night for five weeks, starting the day before Halloween. The Dec. 2 show will start at noon.
AUTO RACING
› DEARBORN, Mich. — Ford will celebrate its iconic muscle car next year when it races the Mustang in NASCAR’s top-tier Cup Series. The 2019 Mustang for NASCAR competition was unveiled Thursday at the Ford Motor Company World Headquarters. Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner Tony Stewart drove a Mustang onto a stage for the reveal with all 13 Ford drivers who compete in the Cup Series in attendance. The Mustang has raced in the second-tier Xfinity Series since 2011. It will compete against Chevrolet’s Camaro and Toyota’s Camry.
BASEBALL
› TORONTO — The Boston Red Sox moved struggling left-handed pitcher Drew Pomeranz to the bullpen and will keep left-hander Brian Johnson as a starter after ace lefty Chris Sale returns from the disabled list. Pomeranz, 1-5 with a 6.31 ERA this season, is winless in eight starts since a May 2 win over the Kansas City Royals. Pomeranz matched a season-worst with five walks in Tuesday’s start against the Blue Jays in Toronto, leaving after 4 2/3 innings. He has completed more than five innings twice in 11 starts. Johnson won his second straight start in Wednesday’s victory over Toronto. He’s 3-3 with a 4.00 ERA in 29 games, including eight starts. Sale (mild left shoulder inflammation) threw a bullpen session Thursday and is expected to return Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles.
SOCCER
› The Portland Timbers may be on a 15-game unbeaten streak, but Atlanta United FC remains the hottest team in Major League Soccer — by far. Atlanta, the first team to hit the 50-goal mark this season, is atop the Eastern Conference at 14-4-6 with 10 games left and also leads the race for the Supporters’ Shield, given to the MLS team with the most points in the standings at the end of the regular season. Also, Atlanta striker Josef Martinez leads the league’s Golden Boot race to be the top scorer with 26 goals in just 24 matches — and he’s 11 goals in front of his closest competitor. He’s just one goal away from tying the single-season record held by three players: Roy Lassiter of the Tampa Bay Mutiny in 1996, Chris Wondolowski with the San Jose Earthquakes in 2012 and Bradley Wright-Phillips with the New York Red Bulls in 2014. Martinez already broke the league’s career hat-trick record this season with his sixth. Next up for Atlanta is a match at home against the Columbus Crew on Aug. 19.